Where do we go from here?
by theangelofmusic1
Summary: As Lea and Cory go through their lives as friends and castmates, is it possible for them to go on forever without acknowledging that there might be something more? This is a story about what might really be happening between them behind the public eye.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Before you read this I should warn you I am not a writer. I don't even do it as a hobby. But I do have a lot of ideas in my head that I wanted to put out there and see what people thought about them. You've probably figured by now this is my first attempt at writing fanfic, so go easy on me. Also, English is not my first language, so excuse any grammar mistakes. Before I start to ramble, I just want to say I hope you enjoy living the Monchele fantasy as much as I do. This is what fan fiction is for. (:

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own Lea Michele or Cory Monteith. Glee and all of its characters are owned by the crazy brilliant troll in the yellow hat, Ryan Murphy.

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><p>"So, where is he?" Cory asked leaning closer to her, a lopsided smirk growing across his face.<p>

"Not here." She answered matter-of-factly without even taking her eyes from the drink in her hands.

"Yes, I can see that." He insisted, having a low laugh, the smirk now fully spread through his features. "The thing is, though, I thought he'd be by your side 24/7 during the whole tour this time. Since, you know, he apparently has nothing productive to do with his life."

Cory knew he was pushing the subject, but it kind of bothered him to see her so down after all the energy and all the joy she put into every song and every show they performed. No, scratch that. It_ really_ bothered him to see her like that. While they were on stage she was all about the smiles and the jumping around and her high notes, but as soon as they got off it, Lea just became this lackluster version of herself, detached from everybody and everything else.

So he thought of Theo. The guy who could, who _should_, be here by her side, bringing up her spirits, cheering her up, sharing this experience with her, l_oving her. _Who wouldn't want to be in his shoes? He definitely would, Cory assured himself. So then, what in the hell could that dude possibly be doing – or not doing, for that matter – to make her feel like this?

Here they were, sitting in an exclusive, hidden spot in the bar of one of the hotels they were staying during the tour, surrounded by their friends and cast mates, all of them talking, drinking, laughing and just plain having the time of their lives, and yet she looked like she wasn't even there. Well, she was, Cory pondered as he observed her playing absentmindedly with the straw in her glass, but only in body, not in soul.

"Don't go there, Cory." Lea said warningly, putting down her drink and finally looking at him, the sadness evident in her eyes.

His face went from playful to serious instantly as he noticed it even in the low lighting of the place, his own concern for her building up inside of him and making his heart drop. This was worse than he thought. Not the time to be flirting, damn it. She needed him to be her friend. So that's what he was going to be right now. Whatever she needed.

"I'm sorry, Lea. I shouldn't have said that." he said, trying to maintain eye contact. "Well, I shouldn't have said it like that. But I'm still worried about you."

"Don't be. I'm okay." She gave him a failed attempt at a smile and, escaping from his gaze, immediately went back to stirring her drink with the straw.

"Ok, who do you think you're kidding, huh? Me? Or yourself?" He couldn't help but blurt out at her response. She barely shrugged her shoulders at that. "Look, Lea, I know we have this weird kind of not-quite-but-almost-friends-with-benefits relationship and some obviously unresolved feelings, but I want you to know that above and beyond all of that crap I'm your friend. And you can tell me whatever it is your feeling. You probably need it, since your family or your old friends can't be here for you right now, as I know you'd like, and God knows why you're pushing Dianna and the other girls away. I promise I won't make any snarky comments."

Lea sighed and went to look up at him again, her eyes narrowed, questioning for the truth behind his promise, one of her brows slightly raised. "What? I'm serious. No smart stuff." Cory laughed as he got the question from her expression, giving her his most honest and heartfelt smile, assuring her she could trust him.

"Fine," she smiled timidly, but truthfully this time. "but maybe we should get out of here first, I can't really talk about this with all this mayhem around us", she said, referring to the earsplitting sounds of "Like a G6" playing in the background mixed with all the talk and laughter.

With that, Lea got up, leaving the rest of their cast mates to the remaining of their night of partying, knowing Cory would be right behind her as they left the bar through the back door of the bar, taking the elevator service up to her room.

The elevator ride was silent, both of them finding the patterns of the marble floor much more interesting than each other's eyes. As they reached the last floor and made their way through the hallway towards the room, he watched her fiddling with the card key in her hands. "Hey" he said, breaking the silence and catching her attention, "we can always go somewhere else if me being in your room will make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's ok, you've been in my room many other times" she replies, amazed at how easily he can see through her. Are all her emotions that clearly plastered on her face? Maybe she's one of those people who are like an open book. Or maybe he's the only one who is able to read it. She smiles at her thoughts, "Besides, there really isn't another place we can go and talk privately." He nods. "Here we are" Lea said as she swiped the key in the lock, letting herself in, Cory soon following.

As soon as they entered the room, Lea dropping the key in the bowl by the door and taking a seat in the couch in the living area, Cory stopped as he realized that while, yes, he had been in other of her hotel rooms before, they had never been alone in any of those occasions. He looked around and noticed all of her clothes spread through the place, on the bed, hanging from her suitcase, on the floor, by the vanity where all her make-up lied in an absolutely disordered mess. It sure seemed like a hurricane had gone through. Had she always been this disorganized? Why was she being to careless?

"Hey, Mr. Monteith? What are you doing there?" Lea asked, waking him from his thoughts. "I didn't ask you to come here so you would just stand there looking tall. And Canadian. And handsome", she offered with a smile. "Come here, sit next to me", she patted the spot next to her.

After that one, Cory couldn't help himself but go with his own line. "I thought you'd never ask, Ms. Michele". They shared a laugh and as he sit on the other end of the couch, facing her, he went on. "Actually, I always hoped that if we were ever in this situation – alone, in your room – you'd be asking me for more. But I can deal with that." He smirked.

Lea was silent for a moment, smiling sadly at him before replying "Cory, you promised you wouldn't." He then reached for her hand, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Last one, I promise. It's just really hard to stop myself sometimes." He stroked her knuckles with his thumb. "Really, I am sorry. I want you to feel like you can count on me. Acting like a jackass certainly won't be any help."

"I know I can trust you, Cory", she put her other hand over his to assure him of what she was saying. "And I know you are my friend, whatever the type of friendship we maintain might be. And I certainly don't think you're a jackass." She let go of his hand, shifting from her indian-style position so her legs were hanging from the couch, and put her own hands to her forehead, holding her head. "It's just that I'm not sure if I should be talking about _this_ with _you_."

The stress she put on those to specific words made his stomach flip and his heart start racing as he stared Lea, her face buried in her hands. He knew what this was about. He was right from the start. But why was she having difficulty opening up to him? They could always talk about anything. Could it possibly involve some feelings she might have towards him? Well, he thought he better not jump to conclusions, but his mind was going a mile a minute and he decided to spit out all he could articulate, the inevitable defensive tone showing in his words. "So it is about _him_, isn't it?"

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><p><strong>AN: **Yes? No? Tell me what you think (:


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Firstly, I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. You can't believe how much it means to me. In the mean time, I also wanted to remind you I'm still not a writer, but I am having fun with this, so I only hope you do too. Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer:** I have never, nor will I ever own Lea Michele or Cory Monteith. It's a bitch, I know.

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><p>"What is that supposed to mean?" Lea couldn't help but get defensive herself as a response to Cory's tone. She took her hands off her face and looked him in the eye, furrowing her brows and shaking her head in a little bit of anger and disbelief at his question. "That Theo's the reason to all my problems? 'Cause he certainly is not. And even if he were, I can guarantee you he's also provided many wonderful moments in my life and-"<p>

"Ok, look." Cory interrupted, startling her. "I don't want to argue. I'm sorry I got pissed at him before I even knew what happened. But you're my friend, Lea, and that's what friends do. They defend each other. And all I see is you're hurt and I don't want anything or anyone to ever make you feel like that." He searched for her hand again, moving closer and wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.

"I don't want to argue either, Cory. But this is why I was afraid to talk about it with you." she said, putting her defenses down and leaning into his embrace. "Maybe I should just go and talk to one of the girls."

"Then why don't you?" He rubbed her shoulder as she kept her head next to his chest. "I don't know. I'm scared, I guess. Or embarrassed, maybe." She sighed and got up from the couch, leaving him a little frustrated at the loss of contact. She walked to her vanity, from where she picked up a band, and started pulling her hair up into a high knot, exposing all of the back of her neck and shoulders. Cory licked his lips and repressed a groan at the sight, admiring just how gorgeous this woman could be.

"You see, the girls have an idea of this perfect relationship between Theo and me and I don't think I have it in me to burst their bubble." She admitted, without turning back to face him. "They think we're this great Broadway match made in heaven with every possible compatible taste or opinion or feeling. And the truth is, at some point I believe we were, even though I always knew we were different in many ways." She finally turned to Cory, making him catch his breath. Yeah, even better than the back of her neck was the front of it and the way it went down to connect with her collarbone, all of it now so exposed for him to see because of her pulled-back hair and her strapless blouse. Ok, it was getting harder to concentrate. "I see." He swallowed thickly.

She didn't even notice his stare as she made her way back to the couch, plopping herself next to him again, her back against the armrest, and stretching her legs over his lap. He started to take off her shoes as she went on. "I mean, when Jon introduced us we hit it off right away. We both came from the same background, we knew a lot of the same people, hell we even had the same jobs." She laughed, throwing her hands in the air for effect. "So I guess that's why we had so much to talk about. And it didn't hurt that he was cute too. I can't deny that we had a wildly fun start to our relationship." Lea smiled, looking down and blushing at her memories as Cory flinched at his own mental images of her and Theo _having fun_ as couple.

"But all of that changed?" He asked quickly to hide his reaction to the excess of information she had just given him, trying desperately to erase the thoughts that came with it. Only because he needed the distraction, Cory allowed himself to stroke the bit of her ankle exposed by the shorter pair of jeans she was wearing with his thumb.

"Not all of a sudden, no. I feel it was just kind of a process, which many relationships go through too, for that matter." Lea replied, his soft touch making her feel more and more relaxed by the second. "We still have the same affinities but our differences are becoming more evident and more annoying each and every day. Like, I didn't use to care that he liked to go out partying so much and I'm much more of a couch potato. We used to compromise about stuff like that, but now he seems to do whatever the hell he wants without even a word."

He slightly gripped her now bare foot to encourage her to go on as he saw the pain begin to show in her face, letting him know she was getting to the real delicate part of the subject. "We used to work the long-distance thing so well and maybe it even helped us to get along better; we didn't see each other for weeks and, when we did, there wasn't even time to argue or discuss our relationship because we wanted to make up for all the lost time." Oh no, bad thoughts again! Shake them off, Cory, shake them off. Wow, he really was doing a great job at this friend and listening thing.

He gave himself mental kudos when she started again. "I thought that when he ended his run on the show in NY and was able to move to LA with me, I'd finally have the perfect relationship I wanted. But I guess it was then that things started to change." She furrowed her brows and put her hand on her chin, concentrating on her thoughts. "We started to fight so much more about such less important things. He made new friends and started going out a lot more than I ever thought he did, making me even think at some point these past few weeks that I was living alone again."

She let out a long sigh and continued "But we were working through all that, despite how hard it was getting. As time passed, though, we started to care less, talk less and just pretty much live together instead of living _with_ each other. I guess you could say we started to grow apart in a way, you know?" She looked at him, waiting for his opinion.

Yeah, he was totally getting better at this listening thing, even if it was her talking all the time about that stupid Broadway guy. And the fact that he started to massage her adorable little foot was helping him greatly too. She didn't even mind, either. She seemed to like it, he thought. Score.

"Cory? Cory? Are you still there?" she snapped her fingers next to his ear, trying to wake him from this sort of trance he was in. "Yeah, yeah, of course. What was that?" he asked startled, both of his brows raised high on his forehead, Lea laughing out loud. "Why are you laughing?"

"You had this really funny look on your face," she said through giggles, "like you were satisfied or something."

Oh no, she was catching on to him. "Really? I didn't think that could be possible since all I'm doing is listening to you talk about _Broadway dude_." He emphasized the last words with a mocking tone and she stopped giggling, but still grinned condescendingly at him. "Yeah, but it did look like you were so content and so pleased and it sure looked funny." Nice safe, Cory. Well, at least for the moment, he concluded before asking "What was it that you wanted from me anyway?"

"Oh, I don't even know anymore." She tried to get her line of thought back. "I just feel like Theo and I are still friends and we still get along decently, but I don't think there's much else left there. And I'm getting the feeling he thinks the same, too."

"Yeah? How so?" Cory immediately asked, afraid to get lost in his own head again, possibly showing her other feelings he was not quite ready to open up about yet. "When I asked him to come along with me on the tour, he said it was probably best if he didn't come. He thought that we should maybe spend some time apart again, since we had our best phase living 2,000 miles apart from each other." Cory raised a brow and angled his head to the side as if asking her "Really?". This dude actually wanted to spend time _away_ from her? Dumbass.

"Which is all kinds of crazy, I know." Lea agreed. "But at this point I was willing to try anything."

"I'm sorry, but I just fail to see how missing out on an opportunity of spending quality, fun time together with a girlfriend as successfully busy and with so little free time as you is a good idea." He said honestly. Lea stared at him as she had no reply to that.

If she was being honest, she completely agreed with him. Just because at the best point of their relationship she and Theo didn't live in the same ends of the country didn't mean it should be that way forever for them to work. After all, that was in the beginning, when everything is new and exciting and any trouble is easily overcome. With time, real relationships and real love should grow stronger and more confident, not more bland and doubtful. Why wasn't this happening? Where did it go wrong? They worked so hard for it.

Maybe that was the problem, though, she contemplated making a serious face. Cory just watched and smiled at her endearingly, finding her concentration to be the most adorable thing on the planet.

Yes, they had put a lot of effort into making long distance work. But they also had this strong will to make it work somehow, anyhow. Now she didn't have it in her to try anymore. In a way, it didn't seem like it was worth it anymore, all they would have to go through. Yeah, this was definitely feeling like closure. That, however, was something that was never easy to admit.

"I guess you're right." She spoke after quite some time. "Perhaps I'm just having a difficult time admitting that we grew too much apart, that it might just be time for us to let go."

"I know. That's never easy, Lea. When relationships die, no matter how great they were at the beginning or how awful they were at the end, we die a little too." He understood why she was feeling like that, but his heart skipped a beat as he thought at all the possibilities that could open up from her moving on. "However, it takes a lot of strength – which we need to dig up from deep inside us in those moments – to just get past it. At the end of the day, it's what will make us feel better, sounder and happier and make it possible to keep being friendly with that other person instead of wanting to rip each other's heads off."

Lea chuckled and took her legs off his lap, kneeling next to him on the couch as she hugged him tightly. He put her arms around her, hugging her back as she whispered against his ear. "Thank you, Cory." She smiled contently and then pulled back, accidentally brushing her face and nose slightly against his cheek. Chills ran down his body as he inhaled her sweet perfume. When she faced him again, her arms still around his shoulders, his around her waist, their eyes locked. As they stood like that, their faces apart by only a fraction of an inch, both feeling each other's hot heavy breaths, time seemed to stand still for what felt like forever. Cory then lowered his gaze to her lips, his breath catching in his throat as she bit the bottom one, watching him.

Suddenly his phone rang loudly from his pocket, making her jump away from him, both of their hearts racing fast enough to come out through their mouths. He fumbled nervously trying to reach for the damn thing, dropping it to the floor before picking it up and answering the call.

Lea watched as his lips moved from talking to the person on the other end, but she couldn't hear what he was saying, her mind too busy trying to figure out what just happened. Ok, what the hell had just happened? Sure, she always had this thing for Cory. She had even admitted in a past interview that if it was going to happen with anyone in the cast, it would have been with him. She felt attracted to him. Boy, did she felt attracted to that Canadian Hulk. She thought he felt it back for her too, from the way they were always flirting and throwing lines playfully at each other. But they had never acted on those feelings before and they had certainly never come this close to doing so.

"Uhm," Cory started timidly, running a hand through his hair "that was Mark. He wanted to know where the fuck I was and for me to go back downstairs 'cause I was missing out on a hilariously drunk Darren and-" he stopped rambling as he noticed her shocked expression and wide eyes, staring blankly at the wall across from her. "Lea, are you alright?" He touched her shoulder.

"Huh? I'm sorry, what- what?" she stumbled on her words. "Are you alright?" He asked again, when she realized his hand on her shoulder and stood up quickly. "Yeah, alright. I'm alright. I'm great, actually." She turned her back to him and rested her hand on the junction between her neck and shoulder.

"Yeah, okay, then. Good. That's good." Cory was feeling nervous too as he thought of what to say and what to do at that moment. "Maybe I should go." He offered awkwardly.

"Mhmm, mhmm" was all she could reply. "Don't worry, I told them I had to go back up to my room to go to the bathroom. Number two." Crap, he cursed himself. He really shouldn't have said that. "Okay, I definitely need to get going." He turned and started towards the door, but stopped when he heard her.

"Thank you, Cory." Lea was finally facing him again, her tone warm and affectionate. "For not telling them you were here with me and for everything else. Just, thank you." She smiled.

"Anytime, Ms. Michele." He winked at her and gave her his half smile before getting out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Right after she heard the door click, Lea dropped herself on her bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking "Well, I do not know what that was, but it certainly felt like trouble."

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><p><strong>AN: **So, what did you think of this one? Tell me, I definitely want to know! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I can't even begin to tell you how happy it makes me that there are people actually reading my fic. I want to thank each and everyone of you, specially the ones who have favorited and alerted it. Last, but not least, I want to thank the ones who've reviewed. Every single review puts a giant smile on my face, making me look like a complete dork, but it's what is most satisfying and encouraging to keep writing. So, yeah, thanks.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, I'd make them own each other. If I owned Glee, I wouldn't be writing fanfic.

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><p>The next morning, Lea woke up having just as much mixed feelings about her <em>moment<em> with Cory as when she had gone to bed the night before. She giggled and felt the butterflies in her stomach as she recalled the moment when he was watching her lips so intently she seriously considered grabbing him by the back of his head and attacking his mouth with her own, giving him all she had. Her giggles turned into a full blush that crept across her face the second she realized just about what she was daydreaming, making her roll over on the bed and bury her face in the pillows.

"What am I doing? I feel like a teenager with a crush!", Lea smiled into the pillow and cursed herself. "Stop acting like this! You are a strong, intelligent woman with absolute control over your feelings. A woman who is therefore completely able to put things into perspective and analyze those feelings without as much as a say from her heart."

She was right, she thought as she sit up on the bed with her back to the wall, hugging her knees. All she had to do was climb down from the Cory cloud she was in and lay out the facts on the table so she could see just how bad this could end up for both of them.

First of all, co-stars should never date. She had this as a personal rule for herself, knowing that the slightest arguments or fights between cast mates could have powerful consequences for their performances as actors, no matter how good they were. Besides, on Glee, they were strictly prohibited to date. "Look at the Naya and Mark fiasco, for God's sakes, Lea!" she demanded herself, shaking her head before dropping it to her hands. Even if now they were getting along well again didn't mean she forgot about how awful it was when they were fighting. Those were some awkward couple of months.

On the other hand, one side of her insisted, what would it be like if they didn't fight? If they were able to make it, being a couple and working together? Yeah, right, her other side disagreed immediately, and she raised her head, rolling her eyes. Because couples _never_ fight. And it's not like you and him haven't argued quite a few times yourselves even being only friends and coworkers.

Okay, maybe dealing with her sentiments towards Cory was a little harder than she thought. Lea ended the argument with herself, lying dramatically on the bed again, a loud frustrated grunt escaping her lips. "Ugh!", she turned and reached for her phone to look at the time. It was only then she realized she had received a text from Theo:

"_How r u? How was show 2nite? Miss u. T"_

Oh my God. What the hell was she doing thinking about Cory all this time, when she still had a boyfriend who she cared about and who cared about her? "I'm such a horrible person.", Lea thought as she was about to send a reply, when she noticed it was received it at 4 in the morning. Making sure she got the time zones correctly before she got mad at him, she remembered they were on the same damn coast. That's why she never heard her phone, she was freaking sleeping as he was getting home from another crazy ass partying night, probably only remembering he had a girlfriend after he came home somewhat drunk _again_ and wanting to get some.

She didn't want to start another fight when they weren't even able to talk to each other in person, but couldn't help pouring all her frustration into her response:

"_You mean the show LAST nite? Was great. How come u only texted me 4am?_ _L"_

Lea knew they would be getting into the same argument all over again, yet she was so mad at him for feeling guilty over a stupid talk and a hug with a friend – okay, maybe it was more, but who was counting anyway? –, when he obviously wasn't thinking about her as he decided to go out and not tell her know about it.

When she didn't get an answer, Lea figured he was most likely passed out from the night before, so she got out of bed and started packing angrily, throwing all her stuff into her suitcase, not caring to fold the clothes or pair up her shoes. They had a plane to catch in two hours.

A few minutes later, Lea sat on top of her suitcase, which now refused to close, trying desperately to zip it up and failing miserably, when she heard her phone ring. Without getting up, she reached for it and answered without checking who it was.

"What?" she sighed.

"Oh-oh, does someone have her panties in a twist?" Chris laughed on the other end.

"Ha ha, very funny. What's up?"

"Maybe I should be the one asking that question, Lea, since you left the bar early last night with the look of death on your face, accompanied by none other than Mr. Cory Monteith. What's up with _that,_ dear?"

"Oh please, Chris, give me a break. Are you now working for the tabloids too?" Lea answered, still a little out of breath from her failed attempts at closing her bag.

"Nooo, but you have to agree it looked a little suspicious for the two of you to be sneaking out through the back door without even saying goodbye. Especially since it was, you know, _the two of you._"

"I really don't get what you're trying to insinuate, Mr. Colfer, nor do I want to. Ouch!" she cried, having caught her finger in the zipper.

"What happened?" Chris asked worriedly. "And why are you out of breath?" He then asked suspiciously. "Wait, don't tell me anything I'll regret hearing. Oh my, is Cory still there?"

"What? No! Why? Why would he be here?" Lea shrieked, her eyes wide, startled by his assumptions. Did they consider her to be _that_ kind of girl? Sure, she always flirted with Cory, but she would never be cheating on her boyfriend. Well, not purposely, anyway. "I was trying to get my bag to close, which apparently I'll never be able to do, and my finger caught in the zipper!"

"Oh, alright then." Did he sound a little _disappointed_? "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the time for our flight has been changed and it's currently leaving at 10 AM."

"What?" she shrieked even louder than before. "You mean 10 AM as in, like, an hour?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." he said, pulling the phone away from his ear as he heard her screaming through it again.

"Oh my GOD! Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?" she asked desperately, getting up and walking across the room to grab the clothes she was supposed to wear. "I can't even close my bag and I still have to shower and get dressed and we're leaving to the airport in, what, 30 minutes?"

"20, actually." Chris replied, a little afraid she might blow up from the stress. She really didn't like being rushed.

"Fuck! I gotta go. Bye, Chris, see you later. Love ya."

"Love you t–" Yeah, she had already hung up, Chris laughed looking at his phone.

Well this was just great, wasn't it? How in hell was she supposed to get ready in 20 freaking minutes? She rolled her eyes and shook her head, entering the bathroom and turning the water on. Why didn't anyone think of telling her this little thing, you know, that might just make her miss their flight before? She sighed as she went in the shower, still silently cursing everyone for making her rush like this.

Just as she turned the water off and stepped out, after what must have been the fastest shower of her life, she heard a knock on the door of the room. Were they all planning on making her late? Lea wondered as she wrapped the towel around her and went to answer the door, checking the peephole first to see who it was. Cory. Ok, things may possibly get a little better.

As she opened the door abruptly, Cory stood there in pure astonishment at what he saw. And he saw Lea. Wet hair, wrapped in a towel, just out of the shower Lea. He took in the way her hair was a little messy and hanging to one side of her shoulders, a drop water coming from it on the other side, sliding behind her ear, down her neck and chest and, oh God, into her towel. He clenched his jaw as he gulped loudly.

"Cory, would you please just come in already? I don't want people to see me like this!" she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the room.

Before she turned from closing the door, he realized her skin was glistening, completely wet. Could she be any hotter? Lea blushed as she noticed his stare, pulling the towel up a little and wrapping her arms tightly around her midsection.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, finally gaining his attention. "I'm already so late!"

"I, uhm" he coughed. Focus, man! "I know. Chris told me you were having a hard time getting your bag to close, so I thought I'd come up and give you a hand with that."

"Oh, ok. Thanks." How could he be so great, especially at the best moments? "I'll be in there, so I can change while you do that." She said, still blushing, pointing towards the bathroom.

"Oh, no, don't mind me." Cory started, noticing her embarrassment at the situation. It was so cute, he thought. This woman was the epitome of hotness and cuteness. "I won't object to watching you get dressed." He laughed and raised his brows twice, trying to break the tension. Somehow, it worked.

"Yeah right, you wish." Lea smiled and started towards the bathroom, stopping and turning her head over her shoulder to look at him again. "Next time, if you really want to watch me change, you should maybe offer me something better than closing my bag in exchange." She winked and shrugged her shoulder a little, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

He smirked as he realized how good he was at making her feel at ease. The smirk, however, quickly faded from his face as he thought about what it would be like to watch her dress. Or better yet, undress. Before he got himself in an embarrassing state, Cory decided he better start working on her bag, which he successfully and effortlessly closed in a second. Sometimes, being this huge had its advantages, he thought.

About two minutes later, Lea came back into the room

"Wow, that was quick."

"Yeah, but I don't have any make-up on and my hair will be a mess the whole day." Yeah, like that wasn't totally hot, Cory thought. "I guess I'll just have to deal with it, right?" She smiled, putting her sunglasses on and grabbing her purse. "Let's go?"

"Yeah." Cory got up and grabbed her bag, catching her attention. "So you were able to close it, huh?" Lea asked, even though it was obvious.

"Piece of cake, babe." He winked as he passed her and went out the door, leaving Lea laughing at the thought of herself standing on the thing while she held her phone and tried to zip it up at the same time, hurting her finger on the zipper in the process. That must have been quite the sight. She was glad he wasn't there for her at that particular moment, but she was glad he was just there for her. Period.

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><p>As they rode the van to the airport, Lea sat next to Dianna and Chris, who seemed eager to bring up the subject from the night before. Again.<p>

"So, Lea." He smiled. "Did the giant Canadian help you with your bag earlier?"

"Yes, Chris. Thanks for sending him up. I'd probably have missed the ride and wouldn't be here right now if wasn't for that." She grinned back at him, holding his hand.

"You're welcome, sweetie." He took her hand and brought it up to his chest, grabbing it with his other one too. "Ok, now tell me. Were you or were you not with Cory last night after you left the bar?"

Lea rolled her eyes. She knew where he was getting at, but she had nothing to hide from him or Dianna. "I was." She answered honestly, making Chris' eyes go as wide as saucers as he dropped her hand and having Dianna almost choke on a piece of the sandwich she was eating.

"I knew it!" Chris almost yelled, clapping his hands. "You don't actually think we would believe his crappy crap story, do you?" He shook his head and rolled his eyes. Please, out of everything the guy could come up with he goes with having to go because he _had to go_? Chris chuckled at his thoughts.

"Wait, wait!" Lea added as quickly and as loudly as she could, putting a hand on both of Chris' and Dianna's arms, trying desperately to stop them from jumping to conclusions. "I was not _with him, _with him." Dianna let out a sigh of relief, but Chris made a little pout and dropped his shoulders, a little bummed out. "And I'm sad that you'd think I'd do that when I am on a stable relationship, Mr. Colfer."

Chris and Dianna shared a look, smiling at each other, both thinking about how _un_stable her relationship was. Lea looked at them, knowing they were having a secret talk which she shouldn't know about.

"Anyway," she started with a roll of her eyes "if you must know, Cory came to talk to me last night, asking me why I was feeling down. Which you know I was–"

"But won't tell us what it's about…" Dianna interrupted, complaining.

"Di, really, it's nothing, ok? You know I'd tell you if it was serious." Lea put an arm around her shoulder, smiling and laying her head next do Dianna's.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Dianna replied, knowing Lea was still hiding something from her. She took another bite from her sandwich as Chris started eagerly.

"So, then what happened?"

"Well, we got out of the bar. Yes, through the back door, Chris. But only because we didn't want to be seen by fans or paparazzi or anyone who might blow up the story to the tabloids."

"Fair enough." Chris agreed. "Go on."

"So we went up to my room, since we couldn't even hear each other over the loud music in the bar, and just talked. We talked and then Mark called him to go back downstairs. And that's it."

"But why did he have to make up the whole number two story, then? If you weren't doing anything?" Chris insisted.

"I told him I didn't want you to know he was up there with me, because I knew that you'd jump to conclusions, which is exactly what you're doing. Maybe he was nervous to make up a lie so fast, maybe he even had to go after we talked. Who knows?" Lea tried to defend Cory, but Chris just wasn't buying it.

"Something still smells wrong here, if you'll excuse my bad joke." He said, looking unpleased.

"Okay, can we just stop with the poop talk, please? I'm trying to eat here!" Dianna begged seriously as Lea and Chris looked at each other for a moment and burst into laughter right after.

* * *

><p>Making her way through the aisle of the plane, Lea found her seat and settled in it. She was going through her purse to find her phone, when she felt a large frame seat next to her, squishing her a little into the window.<p>

"It's funny how they always seem to put you and me next to each other on these flights, huh?" she turned to Cory, who was having some trouble fitting his legs in the space in front of him. He decided he was just going to have to leave one of them spread into the aisle. Maybe he could push the other one a little into Lea's, he analyzed.

"Yeah, I kind of think it's meant to be." He looked down at her, giving her his half-smile, like he hadn't just asked Chris to change seats with him two minutes before.

Lea couldn't help but melt inside at his words. She knew he was only being a flirt, but he did say it was meant to be. Maybe it was. She didn't answer him after that, she just smiled and went back in her purse to find her phone. As she pulled it out, she noticed she had finally gotten a text back from Theo:

_Went out with the guys. Still miss u. Maybe I can come see 1 of ur shows? NJ is next right? T_

Oh, no. She did not want to deal with this right now. So she simply set the phone to the airplane mode, put her earphones in and laid her head on Cory's shoulder, already beginning to drift off to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN:** New chapter, new thoughts? Tell me, please! I want to know whatcha thinkin'! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Okay, so this thing might be getting a life of its own that is beyond my will. lol No, seriously. I had planned some chapters and the way they were supposed to play out, but every time I sit down to write the chapters seem to get longer and I want to write and write some more. I hope I'm not making you bored because of that. I intend on getting back on track next chapter. I promise. I'm still ridiculously happy that you've been reading this and I can't say how much each and every review mean to me. Thank you all so much again! (:

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Lea Michele or Cory Monteith, nor any of the other real life people I mention in this story. They're not really characters, I just pretend they are here so I can make up my own parallel reality. I wish I did own 'The Book of Mormon' or any other sort of Broadway show.

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><p>As soon as they landed in New Jersey, Lea checked her phone again to see that she had 3 missed calls from Theo. She exhaled loudly as she stared at the screen. It was something she'd have to deal with sooner or later, especially since now that they were both home they'd be able to see each other again. She stood there for a moment, contemplating whether she should call her boyfriend now and let him know they'd arrived or if it could wait until she got home.<p>

"Hey, you leaving those here?" Cory asked, nudging her shoulder and pointing to the luggage passing by them on the carousel.

"Oh, no, of course not." Lea answered as she tried to pull her bag towards her, but it was so heavy that instead of getting it off the belt, she began to be pulled along the course with it.

Cory cracked up at the sight of her gripping the handle while her feet refused to stay put on the ground, sliding easily through the slippery floor.

"Here, let me." He stopped her, putting his arm to her front, taking her bag and finally setting it on a cart.

"Thank you, Cory. You're always so chivalrous." She smiled slyly at him.

"Oh, using Rachel's lines there, are we?" He chuckled at her choice of words, looking down at her, as they began to walk. "Are they any good for picking guys up?"

"I don't know, sweetie, I've never had to use them. Boys usually come up to me, not the other way around, you know?" Yes, he knew. "Besides, do you really think that all guys are as easily impressed as Finn?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Let's not go hating on Finn, shall we?" Cory replied.

"There's no need to get defensive about him, Cory." Lea said, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I find his naivety to be very endearing." He huffed, still a little offended. "And kind of hot, too, of course." She added nonchalantly, winking at him.

"Now that's more like it." He laughed and then was silent for a moment. He noticed she was a still out of it. She had slept all through the flight and then almost left her luggage behind. He had to ask her. "Anyway, how are you doing with the whole, you know, _Ted_ thing?" He changed the dude's name like it would mean less if he had no name.

Her smile faded as she was pulled back to reality by his question. "It's _Theo, _Cory, and you know it." She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, _Theo_ or whatever his name is. I want to know how _you _are." He put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped walking.

"I still don't know, honestly. Nothing has changed since we talked last night, except for the fact that he's called me 3 times."

"What did he want?" Cory questioned, nervously. He really didn't want her to go running back into the guy's arms after all they had talked about and that moment they'd shared. That was a freaking awesome moment, he recalled.

"Don't know. Haven't talked to him yet." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

He scrunched his brows in confusion. "Why not?"

"I just don't feel like having _that_ conversation right now." She explained. "And I think it's probably for the best if we do it in person than for me to be dropping hints over the phone."

Ok, maybe she _could_ go running back to him if it were in those terms. Things were looking up. "Yeah, I get it." He said, repressing a grin. "So you gonna see him soon?"

"I don't think so. My dad is picking me up here to take me home and then I guess we'll just stay in and spend some time together with my mom. I really miss them." He glanced at her and admired the loving look that spread through her face.

"Sounds nice." He smiled. "We should probably get going, though. Wouldn't want to make Mr. Sarfati wait, now, would we?"

As they approached the doors and faced the paparazzi, flashes popping in their faces from all over the place, Lea yelled her goodbyes to Cory and a few other cast members who were still waiting for their rides, and got in the car where her dad was waiting for her. She gave him a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek before he checked to see if the security guy had already put her bag in the trunk and then pulled out of the parking area.

Cory was out of the airport shortly after, taking a cab to the hotel where the rest of the crew was staying. Throughout the ride he thought about how close he was getting to having another shot at making it right with Lea. He missed out on his opportunity when they first met because he was afraid to mess up their relationship as co-workers, possibly ruining the success of a show they still had no idea where was going. It was 'their baby', he recalled with a chuckle, and it was their job to protect it and nourish it until it grew up.

And, man, did it grow up. It was huge, now. Strong and independent. And so, he wasn't afraid anymore to let Lea know he wanted to be with her, he appraised, nodding his head. He was actually thrilled.

* * *

><p>When she arrived home, Lea was greeted with a giant hug from her mother.<p>

"Whoa, I missed you too, mom." She said with a smile, trying to maintain her balance after Edith crashed into her.

"I'm sorry, dear, I just haven't seen you in so long." Edith apologized, taking a step back and resting her hands on Lea's shoulders. "So how've you been? Have you been eating right?" Lea looked slightly thinner, she analyzed, checking her daughter from head to toe.

"Yes, mom. Yes, I have."

"I still don't trust that diet you're on." Her mother crossed her arms in front of her chest, as Lea passed by her.

"It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle, mama. How many times will I have to explain it?" Her dad laughed at them from the kitchen and Lea smiled softly, hugging her mom again from the back. "Really, you don't have to worry about me."

"Fine, fine." Edith caressed her daughter's arms. "Anyway, your dad and I have been working all day on making your favorite, baked ziti. Vegan, of course." She added as Lea gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, you guys!" She yelled so her dad would hear her from the kitchen. "I'll just go to my room and unpack for now, then. I'll try and get some sleep too before dinner." Lea announced to her mom, grabbing her bag and heading towards the hall to her bedroom.

"You might want to return your missed calls from Theo first, dear." Her mom warned. "He's called at least 3 times, you know?."

What, was everyone demanding she talked to Theo right this instant? They were probably right, though. He deserved at least a call from her. "I will, I just want to get some rest first."

"Jon called too. I think he wants to ask you to go see a show with him."

Jon! Oh, how she missed him. Going to a Broadway show with Jon, now _that_ made her excited. "He did? That's great! I think I might be having some really bad Broadway withdrawal symptoms right now. I'll call him back to see what he wants to go to. Thanks, mom."

She turned on her feet, practically jumping towards her room. She plopped herself on her bed and got her phone from her purse, dialing Jon's number. He picked up after the first ring and they talked for a while about how the tour was going, how they missed each other and just the usual 'how've you been' stuff.

Lea then asked him about what her mom had told her, that he'd wanted to invite her to go out with him and see some show.

"Yeah, of course. It's been ages since we've gone to a show together." Jon said excitedly on the other end. "I was thinking we could go see 'The Book of Mormon'. They say it's pretty funny and I haven't gotten a chance to see it 'cause I've been in LA ever since I came back from London."

"Yes, Jon, that's a great idea!" Lea shrieked. "I've heard it's great too. It's also up for a bunch of Tonys, isn't it?"

"It is. Now, you have the night off tonight, don't you? I could score us some tickets, even in such a short notice. What do you say?" He waited for the answer he was already expecting for.

"What do I say? Of course I say, let's get going! Just tell me when and where to meet you!" Lea clapped her hands in excitement.

"How about Theo and I pick you up at seven?"

Lea was silent for a second. "Theo?"

"Yeah, I've already asked him. He told me he was having trouble getting in touch with you." Crap. That meant she would have to be dealing with the issues with her boyfriend sooner rather than later. "Is that some sort of problem now?" Jon snorted when she didn't answer.

"Uhm, no, of course not. I'll just prepare myself to spend the night with my two favorite boys, then." She had now to fake her excitement.

"See you later, then, honey. Love ya." Jon replied.

"Love you too, Jonny."

As she hung up, Lea rolled over on the bed and thought about calling Theo next, but she was still tired from the trip, her eyes feeling heavy as she stared at the phone, and she wanted to get her energies back before her night out with him and Jon.

"Ok, I'll just sleep for half an hour and then I'll call him." Lea decided as she put her phone on the nightstand and pulled the blanket over herself.

* * *

><p>"Cory? What are you doing here?" She asked, after hearing a light knock on the door and seeing him peeking in, cracking it open. "How did you get in?"<p>

"Your dad let me in. Cool man, Mr. Sarfati." He replied with a soft grin, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Yes, he is." She agreed. Somehow, her dad always knew what she wanted or how she felt. "But- but, why? Why are you here?"

"I've just missed you, that's all." Cory said as he sat next to her, still lying on the bed, facing him.

"But we've just left each other at the airport like two hours ago." She argued, finding it odd how bluntly he was acting.

"I know." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "And yet, I've still missed you. Haven't you missed me?" He smiled, making his dimples appear deep in his cheeks.

She looked into his eyes before answering. "I have."

And there it was. That same look on his face, the same one that she'd caught when they had almost kissed back at the hotel. The one that made him look like he wanted to devour her, to make her his right then and there. She watched him, her heart racing wildly in her chest, as he started to lean into her, closing the space between them.

And then she felt it. His lips crashing roughly into hers, his hand now on the back of her head pulling her face towards his. An overwhelming amount of emotions coursed through her at that moment. She felt excited, turned on, happy and, most of all, she felt like it was right. It was _so_ right.

The way he slowly pushed her back down to the bed, grazing her lips with his tongue as her head hit the pillow beneath her. The way his tongue felt against hers as she opened her mouth right after, at first very rough and demanding, but then smooth and gentle as they savored the feeling of getting to kiss one another.

The moan that escaped his lips as she slid her hands beneath his shirt, gently touching his back with the tip of her fingers all the way up to his shoulders and then softly scratching his skin on the way back down to his waist.

The involuntary jerk her hips made towards his the moment he stroked her thigh all the way up to the side of her butt under her dress, making her feel his already hard member even through his jeans.

Her own moan and how easily it escaped her lips as she realized that, feeling her panties getting wet while he broke their kisses to suck hard at a spot behind her ear.

It all felt good. It felt great. And just right. So wonderfully right.

* * *

><p>"Lea? Lea, baby, wake up." She felt herself being shaken by the shoulders.<p>

"Hmm… What?" She sighed blissfully, without opening her eyes.

"We're late for the play."

She then opened her eyes to Theo, sitting next to her on her bed. Oh _my God_, had he been there all this time? All this time she was having this, uhm, weird, dream about Cory? She honestly hoped not, she thought, blushing.

"What? How?" Lea looked to the clock on her nightstand. It was already 7PM. "My mom was supposed to wake me up for dinner and only after that was when you and Jon were supposed to come over."

"I know." He smiled. "Your mom told me. But she said you seemed pretty tired when you came home, so she figured she'd just let you sleep until we got here."

"Great, and now I'm late!" She complained, jumping from the bed and heading towards her closet. "I don't even know what I'm wearing! Is Jon here too?"

"He is, I left him talking to your parents in the living room." Theo answered and got up too, getting in her closet behind her and hugging her from the back. "Hey, isn't it enough that you don't seem to answer my calls, now I don't even get to have a proper hello either?" He placed a kiss on her shoulder.

She squirmed under him and started looking for the outfit she wanted. "Not now, Theo. I still have to find my dress, put it on myself and manage to fix my face and my hair, all in a few minutes. Just go wait with them, please, I won't be long."

"Fine." He shrugged his shoulders, gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.

As she hurried to get ready in time, Lea appraised just how much trouble she was getting into. Not only did that dream about Cory feel _amazing_, now she felt really awkward about getting touchy-feely with Theo. It wasn't like he disgusted her or anything, but it was starting to feel a little… _inappropriate?_ Like he was too much of a friend or something, or like a brother, maybe. Wow, that was _bad_, she tried to shake the thought off of her head.

On the other hand, it was funny, she thought, how that was supposed to be happening with Cory, who was indeed one of her best friends, not with her boyfriend. Oh, boy. Were things going to get weird with him too after the dream she'd just had? She hoped not. Actually, she only hoped she could survive this night with Theo without it being too awkward or fighting with him or even breaking his heart. She breathed out heavily, taking one last look at herself in the mirror, before she opened the door and headed into the hallway.

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><p><strong>AN:** Thoughts? :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Ok, so I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer but it's the end of the semester in college and it's really getting the best of me and keeping me from writing as much as I'd like. It'll hopefully be over by Wednesday, so bear with me. :) Anyway, hope you like this chapter, is full of Cory and Lea's Monchele showing. lol

**Disclaimer:** Let's just put it this way: I do not own a single thing I mention in this. Not a one.

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><p>Lea laid in bed that night exhausted but unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the way the night had turned out. She'd been worried at first that her feelings, or the change in her feelings, for Theo would've made their reunion somewhat awkward and turned their night into a big fat break-up disaster, but it hadn't gone that way. It hadn't been like that at all. She had actually had a lot of fun.<p>

The three of them – herself, Theo and Jonathan – had gone to 'The Book of Mormon' as they planned and she felt nothing but pure bliss throughout the show, laughing out loud at their jokes and just enjoying the feeling of being in the Broadway ambiance once again. The feeling of being home.

They'd had a reunion with her 'Spring Awakening' friends too, all of them going out for dinner afterwards. These people were kind of like a family to her. A family who had been with her from the moment they turned that show which she helped create from a little off-Broadway buzz into a Tony Award winner musical. She loved them all and felt loved right back as she stared at Jon rubbing Remy's head playfully with teary eyes and a heartfelt smile on her lips. It was really nice to be home.

She turned on her side to look at Theo, then, who was laying on his stomach beside her, his head turned away from her, snoring lightly. Theo. Her boyfriend. The boyfriend who now she felt was much more like a friend. He had been a great companion that evening. She'd realized why she had loved him all over again. He was like her and like her friends in so many ways. They could talk about everything that she loved for hours on end, just knowing what each other was thinking and sharing inside jokes with nothing but a look. Lea smiled, watching his back rise and fall along with his breathing.

He got along so well with her friends, he just fit in. It was so natural, she analyzed. She had loved him. She still did. But she wasn't _in love_ with him. It was so cliché that Lea had to repress a scoff at her own thoughts. But it was how she felt. Not _in_ love, not attracted to him in _that _way anymore. She shuddered at the memory of the only _really_ awkward moment they'd had that night.

He'd tried again. He'd hugged her softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it was natural, that she should want to be with her boyfriend, she just couldn't bring herself to let go in his arms. So she'd faked a headache and he'd gone to bed angry at her. She should've jumped at the chance to talk to him at that moment, but he was frustrated enough to shoot her courage to the ground.

She would try to talk to him in the morning.

* * *

><p>She couldn't talk to him in the morning. Theo had gotten up and left early for a rehearsal with a band he was forming with a couple of friends, or so he'd told her when she'd called him after breakfast.<p>

"So I won't see you again today?" she sighed, playing with the knife on the plate in front of her, knowing her chances to talk to him were becoming scarce.

"Probably not, baby. But maybe I could come and watch your show tonight like we talked about?"

"Oh, no, no that's ok." She was quick to shoot him down. The last thing she needed right now was for him to be in the same place as Cory when she had _the talk_ with him. "My dad's already coming to see me."

"Fine, fine." He sounded a little resentful. "But I don't think I'll get to see you tomorrow either. I've got this reading thing with that director I told you about and it might take all day."

"Oh" she tried not to sound too nonchalant about it "we'll figure something out." She was really not looking forward to their next encounter.

"I guess. Talk to you later, then. Love you."

"Yeah, love you too." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, dropping her shoulders as she hung up. At least she had work to focus on for the day, she thought as she got up the table to go shower. And it was to be a long day of work, since they had to do the sound check for the night's concert, rehearse and shoot some stuff for the 3D movie and she still planned on doing something special for the NY shows to come the next days.

* * *

><p>"Just a small town girl, living in a lonely–" Cory stopped, noticing his mike was turned off.<p>

Lea burst out laughing at his annoyed face as he fumbled to turn the mike back on. The rehearsal and shooting for the movie was taking all day long and they probably wouldn't get any time to rest before the concert, which was making Cory very cranky.

"Ugh." He grunted, making an angry face and moving his arm as if he was going to throw the mike to the floor. Lea laughed again at his stunt, she was so tired she could laugh at just about anything. She went up to him and wrapped her hands around his waist, giving him a tight hug.

"Argh, I'm just so freaking tired!" He screamed and then chuckled, putting an arm on her shoulders, returning the hug. "We've been trying to get this right all afternoon!"

"I know, but it's better than spending the whole day greeting people at Wal-Mart, don't you think?" She looked up at him, sneering slightly.

"Hey, at least I didn't have to_ sing_ the same line over and over again." He scoffed, a little offended at her mocking his old job.

"Yes, but you also didn't have thousands of adoring fans who loved to watch you do it."

"Yeah". He answered as she pulled away from him. 'And I didn't have _you_ either' he thought, his trademark lopsided smile growing on his face, as he watched Lea hop towards Dianna and throw herself at the other girl's back.

* * *

><p>That evening, as the show went on and each song passed by, Cory was getting more and more confident about letting Lea know how he felt. He figured she should've probably broken up with Broadway dude by now, he knew they'd gone out the night before, and so he kept teasing her time and time again on many different moments throughout the concert, every opportunity he found.<p>

He stared deeply into her eyes during 'Don't Stop Believing', gripping her tightly on the waist as they turned around each other and making sure she caught his smirk as he tickled her side before letting her go. He kept nudging her shoulders as they sat side by side on 'Dog Days' and she stared at him with a confused look on her face. Why was he being so insistent tonight? She blushed slightly as she noticed his purposeful stare at her and looked down instantly, breaking eye contact with him. She also pretended he didn't squeeze her hand a just little too tight this time during Chris' 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'.

With each passing song, though, Lea started to feel more comfortable and to actually enjoy his flirting. Two could play at this game she thought, blowing him a kiss and mouthing 'I love you, Finn' before starting 'Happy Days' with Chris.

Even though Cory had just introduced them and they'd perfected their act as Finn and Rachel for that particular moment, him referring to her as Rachel and her blowing him the kiss, they'd never talked about that line. He was a little taken aback by it, but he couldn't deny the rush he felt seeing her saying those three words to him, even if was to his alter ego. From that moment on, it was like 'game on' for both of them.

Cory watched in awe, as usual, Lea hitting her last note on 'Don't Rain On My Parade' and starting her little backwards dance as he sat on the steps in the back of the stage for 'Jessie's Girl'. As soon as she turned to him, he shot her a look that made her blood ablaze. He pointed to her too, as if saying 'Yeah, you're the one that I want, babe', never breaking his stare. Lea giggled nervously to herself when she noticed, but still made her play by blowing him another kiss before hopping off the stage.

After changing quickly and going to the side of the stage, she saw her dad standing there, swaying to the music of the ongoing performance of 'Empire State Of Mind' and suddenly it hit her! A Yankees hat! She could wear her Yankees hat to show her love for New York on the next concerts. She ran up to Marc and hugged him, staying with him for the whole song until the stage manager gave her the notice to go on for 'Somebody to Love'. Lea made a pout and hugged her dad again, making sure he remembered to find their Yankees hats so she could do as she planned.

She went up on stage and started singing, feeling Cory's eyes burning wholes in her back as she walked past and around him, stopping by his side. She looked at him as he started his part, a playful smile on his lips, and she couldn't help but grin back at him, shaking her head while she swayed to the song.

"God, what am I doing?" She reprimanded herself, still grinning like a fool. "And why, _why_ does it feel so good?"

* * *

><p>The next few days went by exactly the same as the one of first show in New Jersey. Lea and Theo hadn't seen each other anymore and she still hadn't had the chance to talk to him about her feelings. He'd said he wasn't even going to be able to go to any of her New York concerts anymore since he had to go back to LA for a TV audition.<p>

But she really didn't care right now. As selfish as she knew she was being, she was talking so little to her boyfriend and having such a good time with the concerts that it was easy to forget about her problems with him, even if they came back to haunt her at night when she went to bed. But she just couldn't bring herself to care when she and Cory were onstage, laughing, playing and just plain flirting with each other. She did have the best job ever.

Cory, on the other hand, still hadn't found the time to talk to Lea about how he felt, but he it seemed like it could wait since everything was going well between them, with all the sweet moments they'd been sharing on and off stage. Especially now that her boyfriend, well her _ex-_boyfriend, was out of the picture.

"So are you excited for tonight?" He went up to her backstage, before the last New York concert.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm excited!" She asked incredulously.

"I know," he laughed at her pure bliss of just being there "I'm just scared that you'll fall into a deep funk after we leave again."

"That won't happen." She answered reassuringly, even though the last time they left she was left in a _very_ bad mood from being taken away from her beloved city. "Besides, I have a surprise for all my lovely New Yorkers tonight." She gave him her mega-watt smile.

"Oh, is that so, Lea? Would you mind sharing your plans with me?"

"Nah-uh, not gonna happen." She smiled, putting her earpiece in.

"Why not? Are you afraid I'll spill it and ruin it for everyone?" He put his earpiece in too, checking the volume on the receiver.

"Not really, since we're just about to go onstage and there isn't that much time for you to ruin it, even though if I had told you before you'd totally have done it." She elbowed his side playfully. "It's just I want it to be a surprise for everyone, even for you."

He opened his mouth to talk but she didn't let him. "Yes, Cory. Even if it is about New York and you're Canadian and don't really give a damn about it." Lea rolled her eyes liberally, knowing that she'd got his argument right when he just stared baffled at her and the chords to 'Don't Stop Believing' started playing.

The concert went by in a blur, like all things do when you're enjoying them. Lea was on cloud nine the whole evening, just savoring the feeling of performing with the cast she loved in the city she loved and knowing that her mom and dad were in the audience watching. It was father's day and she would be able to pay homage to hers and to New York all on the same show! Could this day get any better? She didn't think so, she smiled widely as she put her NY Yankees hat on her head, giving her extra one to Amber as Jenna put her own on too.

This was the first time she'd be doing 'Empire State of Mind' with them instead of watching by the stage and she couldn't be more nervous about the rapping she had barely rehearsed the night before with Kevin. Sure, she rapped on occasion for the laughs, but she was a Great White Way girl, the last thing she was proud of was her rapping.

"Oh, just fuck it! New York deserves it." She encouraged herself as she adjusted the hat on her had, entering the stage beside Kevin. However, as the crowd went wild with her act, Lea felt more comfortable and shamelessly did the rest of their rap portion of the song.

Meanwhile, Cory stood backstage, still curious about what the hell Lea had come up with to show her undying love for this freaking city. He laughed wholeheartedly as he heard her go on stage and start rapping the beginning of 'Empire State' along with Kevin. Was she actually putting herself through this embarrassment just so everyone knew where she was from and that she loved to show it? It was funny, he thought shaking his head, a goofy smile plastered on his face, as Lea stumbled a little on some words, how her voice did _not_ match this style. But it was so damn cute, too. He was actually proud of her for that, Cory analyzed as he climbed the stairs to the stage, giving the audience the best rapping of his own – which he knew wasn't that much better, either.

As soon as he laid eyes on Lea, Yankees hat on her head, pumping her fist proudly to his rapping and mouthing the words along, he decided 'cute' didn't even cut it to describe this woman. Adorable, charming, endearing, loveable. No adjectives could properly describe what she was. Or better yet, what he thought of her, what he _felt _for her. His heart squeezed in his chest a little.

Suddenly, she came up to him and gave him a playful smirk as if to show him that not telling him her plans before was the best idea. He nodded, agreeing with her and thinking, upon a second look, that the baseball hat actually made her look hot. Or was it the smirk she had just given him? Anyway, she looked damn hot. What if instead of a Yankees hat she happened to be wearing a Canucks one? Maybe with a Canucks jersey to go along with it? Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Okay, this line of thought wasn't going in the appropriate direction for the moment, Cory decided as he stopped looking at her and fixed his stare at the back doors of the venue.

* * *

><p>The show was over. The US part of the tour was over. It had been a truly amazing time. But Cory couldn't tell if he was more excited to go to the UK or that he would finally get the chance to talk to Lea. Maybe not right now, he pondered as he watched her talking to her parents by her dressing room, but at least he would let her now he wanted to tell her something.<p>

He took a deep breath and let it out before taking two long steps towards Lea and her family, but stopping dead on his tracks as he saw _him_. What the _fuck_ was _he_ doing here? Cory could actually feel his blood boiling under his skin.

"Theo! What-, what are you doing here?" He heard Lea ask, a surprised and somewhat disturbed look on her face.

"Surprise! I came back from LA as soon as I could. I just couldn't let you spend your last night here by yourself, could I? We haven't even seen each other since the night you got here." Theo grinned, with a shrug of his shoulders, like he as giving her the most obvious explanation ever. "Haven't you missed me?"

Lea didn't answer. She couldn't. No more lying. Why did he have to show up here anyway? This was such a perfect night up until this point and now she would have to deal with him, with the conversation she had been dreading for a week. So, all she did was hug Theo just as she caught a glimpse of Cory on the corner of her eye, clenching his jaw and closing his fists tightly before turning on his feet and leaving her sight.

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><p><strong>AN: **Thoughts? Please review, I'll be ridiculously happy. (:


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Just wanted to thank you all for reading and reviewing. Hope you enjoy this one!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except grammar or spelling mistakes.

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><p>"Break up? What do you mean you want to break up?" Theo ran a hand through his hair, turning his back to Lea. "But why? How? Why?" He was starting to sound a little desperate.<p>

"I mean exactly what I said." She sighed. "Things just haven't been the same. I thought you'd understand." Her reply was quiet, her voice almost breaking as he turned to face her again.

"Understand? Why the hell would I understand?"

"Okay, there is no need for you to be yelling at me right now, Theo!" Lea raised her voice a little too and was glad that they had gone to her place that night instead of her parents' after the concert. This way no one could hear them arguing. Well, except maybe for the neighbors downstairs but she really hoped they'd be asleep at this time of night.

"I just don't get it." He sat down on her bed, shaking and then dropping his head. "I know things aren't like they were in the beginning, but doesn't every relationship change with time?"

"They do, but there are different kinds of changes, you know?" Lea answered, sitting next to him on the bed. "Some changes are for the better and you feel like you're still going somewhere, but I just feel that ours hasn't been heading in that direction. I just feel us drifting apart more and more each day."

"I feel that too." He turned to look into her eyes for a moment before getting up abruptly and throwing the pillow he was holding against the door. It ricocheted and hit a lamp that was standing on her dresser, making it fall to the ground with a loud noise. "But ugh! I just don't want to break up, Lea!" Theo raised his voice again showing his despair.

"I thought I just told you not to yell at me." She said in as even a voice as possible, getting off the bed and going to the corner of the room to pick up the lamp and set it back on its original place. "And you almost broke my lamp."

"I know, I'm sorry, baby." He went up to her, putting his arms around her waist. "Is this because we haven't _done_ anything lately? 'Cause I'm sure we can change that."

"What? No!" She frowned, a little offended, as she slapped his chest and tried to pull away ineffectively as his grip grew tighter.

"Then what is it? Tell me." Theo pulled her closer and stared into her eyes, hoping that she would somehow change her mind. When she didn't answer, he sighed. "It's not that easy letting you go, you know?"

As Lea stared into her boyfriend's eyes wet with tears he just wasn't releasing yet, she got to see how much this was hurting him. He might not be the most affectionate person at all times, but she knew he loved her. It broke her heart to see him like this and know that she was the one putting that look on his face. She was so messed up! Why couldn't she just go on with it and try and be happy with Theo? There wasn't anything really wrong with them, was there? It would definitely be the easiest decision and she wouldn't have to put him through all this suffering.

No. She couldn't. Her heart was still telling her she wasn't supposed to put _herself_ through a relationship that didn't mean as much as it used to her or even as much as she hoped for. This was it. You're supposed to listen to what your heart is telling you, right? She wasn't someone who could over rationalize everything and make decisions without taking her feelings into consideration. She was an artist after all.

"I know, Theo. Don't think for a minute that this isn't hard for me too." He dropped his head, breaking their eye contact. "But it's what my heart is telling me to do right now. Can you understand that?" Lea tilted her head, lowering it as she looked for his eyes again, but he only kept staring at the ground, not answering her question. "Hey, maybe it'll be for the best. For both of us."

She closed the small space between them, hugging him tightly, hoping that the way she was holding him would somehow show him she was struggling too and he'd finally get what she was trying to express.

"Ok, I'll give you this." His voice broke a little as Theo pulled away from the hug, sniffling and swallowing hard. "Let's take a break. You'll go to Europe with the tour and I'll stay here and we'll take a break. And after that we'll talk again and see what happens."

"But –"

"Please. Lea." He was downright begging then, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Her heart was breaking in a million pieces as she watched him fall apart in front of her. This man was her boyfriend, yes. But before that he had been her friend and she had been his. Even though she hated herself at that moment for not being able to go through the break-up she'd been planning for weeks, her guilt over making him feel this way was taking over. Lea knew this wouldn't be easy and it was still killing her to do it. Since she was the one who had started this she figured she owed him that much.

"Alright."

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><p>"So what's up with Cory?" Lea asked as casually as she could, while Dianna tried on a pair of black suede Zanotti stilettos next to her.<p>

"What about him?" The blonde answered absent-mindedly with a question of her own, as she lifted her leg to admire the glow of the Swarovski crystals incrusted on the tip of the shoe against the store's lighting.

"I don't know." Lea shrugged her shoulders. "Don't you think he's been acting kind of strange these past few days?"

At least he wasn't being his normal self with her, Lea pondered, taking off the shoes she had been trying on herself. Ever since their last US concert in New York, Cory hadn't even talked that much to her beyond polite 'hello's and 'how are you's. She'd noticed the strange look on his face when the show ended and figured it was because he'd seen Theo, which wasn't his favorite person in the world. But she'd also thought it wasn't going to be much of a problem as he'd probably forget about it the next day and be nice to her as usual.

Big misjudgment. It had definitely been a problem. Not only had he not been talking to her properly, he avoided going places where she'd be, he stopped looking her in the eye, he hadn't even sat next to her on the flight and she couldn't deny to herself that it was what she missed the most. Feeling close to him, to his warm, tall body, and being able to rest her head on his arm when she slept through their trips.

She'd been feeling so down by their growing distance that the only solution she'd come up with was going out shopping with Dianna. Sure, it wasn't always easy doing so because they were often attacked by paparazzi or surrounded by a considerable amount of fans; some of them becoming a little too aggressive for their own good, but it was worth it. She and Di had been going to places where the managers would help them, finding more reclusive spots so that they could worry about what they would be buying instead of dealing with people chasing them.

"Well, from where I can see, he's been like that since the last New York concert, where I remember you had a special visitor. And he's only been like that with you, you know?" Dianna explained, standing to appraise herself in the full length mirror standing in front of them.

"Only with me?" Lea asked automatically, watching as the other girl twirled and walked a few steps in the black shoes.

"Yeah, I mean, everyone can see he's been really bummed out, but the only one he's been running away from is you."

"I just don't get it, though." Lea sighed, a little exasperated. "We've always been such good friends and we could always talk about anything. If something's bothering him, why doesn't he just come up to me and say so?" She shook her head as Dianna sit back down next to her, finally taking off the shoes she'd been trying on for so long.

"Are you taking these, miss Agron?" The saleswoman asked as she put the shoes back on their box.

"Yes, I'm taking these and also the red ones over there." She pointed to another pair standing close to the bench where they were sitting and then turned to Lea. "How about you?"

"What?" Lea questioned as she was pulled out of her thoughts.

"Are you going to buy any of these shoes, Lea?" Dianna chuckled after she pronounced the words slowly and clearly, as if her friend didn't speak English.

"Oh, no I'm not. Thank you." The brunette replied startled as she realized she was still holding pair she'd been trying on before, letting the saleswoman take them gently from her hands. "I'll be waiting for you at the register whenever you're ready." She said and Dianna nodded, soon after turning to face Lea once again and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Do you actually need me to tell you?"

Lea stared questioningly at her friend, furrowing her brows.

"If he is jealous of Theo, he probably has an ulterior motive." With that, Dianna separated from her and got off the bench, stepping towards the register. "And no, not a friend motive. _I_, for one, am _not_ jealous of your boyfriend." She quickly added without turning around, because she knew Lea would use the friend argument. And do, she successfully left the other girl speechless and still sitting down, a mixture of confusion, surprise and amazement spreading through her face.

Had she finally gotten it now?

* * *

><p>"Damn it!" Cory groaned as he missed the basket for the fourth time in a row by 2 feet. He and Mark had been playing disc golf in every city they could find a field during the tour. At first it seemed like a really stupid game for Cory, who very much preferred the action – and the fighting – of hockey, but Mark was so insistent in him coming that when he finally agreed he actually came to appreciate the game. It was quite relaxing and gave them the chance to talk about things they wouldn't normally share.<p>

"Man, you suck!" Mark yelled from behind him, going up to where his own disc had been standing from the previous play, already much closer to the target than Cory's and with two less throws on his count. "Seriously, how is it possible that you're getting _worse_ at it as time goes by?" He chuckled and threw the object, easily making the shot.

"Shut up. I'd like to see you hold your own against me on a hockey rink. One-on-one." Cory defied his friend, still frustrated from his plays. He wasn't the best at this, but he knew he was playing so bad because his head hadn't been in the game these past few days. It was still in New York, raging over Lea's surprise visitor at the end of the concert.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'd still kick your giant ass, Frankenteen. You're not so good at sports, even if it's your favorite. And you're still pathetically losing by a double-birdie for this hole alone." Mark replied, referring to the game's scoreboard and disrupting Cory's internal debate.

"And what the fuck does that mean?" Cory asked, still confused at the game's lingo, as he picked his disc up to try another throw. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Two throws under par, dude. How many times will I have to explain it to you? Am I gonna have to draw it for you? With pretty little Canadian trolls to represent you?" He made a big fake pout and then smirked.

"Fuck you." Was all Cory retorted before making his throw. Once again, the disc flew wide and landed far away from the basket.

"I have a feeling this will be taking all day. Maybe we should call and let the others know we won't be making it to the concert tonight." The mohawked man chuckled as he took off his shirt, the hot afternoon sun taking its toll on him. He immediately stopped laughing as he saw the hurt look on his friend's face.

"Geez, man, there's no need to get all depressed about it. You'll get better." He patted Cory's back.

"It's not-, it's not that." Cory struggled to say the words, but felt the need to express all he had been dealing with in his mind and in his heart for what seemed like an eternety.

"It's not that what?"

"I'm not worried about my disc golf abilities. And they've only been sucking so bad because I just have a lot on my mind right now." He sighed, sitting down on the grass and resting his forearms on his knees.

"What is it, then? What's up?" Mark sat in front him, making the same movement to sit just like Cory had done before.

"Look, man, this is really hard for me to talk about, but I just can't hold it in anymore. I need to talk to someone about it. I'm so confused and I have all these feelings and don't know what to do about them." He looked up at Mark, who only nodded as if to show him he could go on. "I'm almost scared I'm becoming a chick." He joked, attempting to break the ice a little as he felt uncomfortable having this kind of conversation with another dude.

Mark laughed at Cory's joke but his face became serious again before he replied. "It's Lea, isn't it?"

Cory's eyes went so wide they almost fell out of his head. How did he get the single reason for all of his internal turmoil in less than a minute of speaking to him? He opened his mouth, trying to voice his astonishment, but nothing came out, which allowed Mark to go on.

"What? Why are you so shocked I figured it out? You think we don't see the way you look at her? Hold her? That you're the guy she spends the most time with and the majority of that time you spend flirting with each other?"

Cory's mouth still made opening and closing movements as he tried to speak, but his mind was running too fast through all his memories of spending time with Lea and just how much he let show of what he felt for the girl, for him to be able to properly form words. Mark laughed loudly, finding the combination of concern and shock on the other guy's face very amusing.

"You think you're so subtle, don't you? Throwing lines at each other, hugging more often than would be considered normal, laughing at every stupid thing the other says. 'LOL, she's so funny, isn't she?'" Mark did a poor imitation of Cory, using a whiny voice and shaking his hands in an extremely affected manner, receiving a kick on his side in response.

"No, but seriously, man. You even know so much about each other it creeps me out. Last names, childhood friends' names, how old you were when you got your first kiss, hell, you probably even know at what time she was born."

Cory smiled as he recalled a conversation he'd had with Lea about birth dates and times, astrology and how he found it to be just pure nonsense.

"Oh my God, you _do_ know at what time she was born, don't you?" Mark almost shrieked as he caught the soft smile growing lopsided on Cory's face. "Now tell me, do you honestly think all of that is just _friends_ stuff?"

Cory stopped his recollection of Lea memories and tried to analyze their history in a rational way. He had always felt attracted to her. From day one, he found himself thinking about her in the most inappropriate ways every time he laid eyes on her. Sure, she wasn't the type of girl he used to go for, but there was something about her, that unconventional beauty thing that people talked about, that made him feel like he could stare at her for hours on end. He knew she felt attracted to him as well, not only because she had freaking told a magazine, but just the way she acted around him was enough to show her interest.

But nothing else came from her beyond that. Physical attraction. That was all she felt for him. Maybe if they were together once or twice would satisfy her and be enough for her. And even though he wouldn't exactly be _opposed_ to that he just knew that it wouldn't be enough for him. And that's what scared him the most.

"No, I don't think our relationship is like that 'just friends' or 'we're like siblings' crap we keep telling everyone. I can easily admit that I'm ridiculously attracted to her, that I want to make her mine every time I look at her."

"I think we can all admit to that. She's one hot piece of lady." The smirk that grew on Mark's face immediately faded as he saw the stern look Cory shot him. "Ok, fine, let's pretend you're the only one who would do her. Go on."

"Stop talking like that, man. It bothers me. A lot. And that's what I'm trying to say. If I just wanted to sleep with her, I wouldn't mind having this kind of guy talk right now. But I do. I care about her so much that comments like that – from you or any other guy for that matter – make me feel like punching someone."

"So you like her. So what?"

"So she has a fucking boyfriend who does nothing but stand glued by her side like a fucking puppy twenty-four hours a day and he's not even making her happy!" The vein in Cory's neck popped as he yelled out all his frustration at being unable to just go up to Lea and end all of this because of that stupid guy.

"Hey hey, calm down. How do you even know he isn't making her happy?" Mark added quickly, a little scared of Cory's outburst.

"She told me."

"See? And you think she doesn't feel anything for you the way you do about her? She freaking trusts you enough to complain about her man's disabilities, if you get what I mean." Mark smirked, raising his brows suggestively.

"She never said anything about that, jackass."

"Whatever. It's clear to me that what we've got here is mutual. The only thing missing is you having the balls to go up and tell her. No, no buts, no boyfriends, no excuses." He added in a hurry before Cory could argue.

It was a good opportunity, Cory had to agree, since they were in a different country from _him._ And when they went back home it would be for their time off, so she probably would go running back into the guy's arms, hardly talking to or seeing Cory. If he had to do this, now was the right time, he assured himself as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

_Need to talk to you. Alone. Cory_

As soon as he hit the send button, Mark stood up, slapping the other's head.

"Great. Now can we end the sissy portion of the afternoon and get back to me kicking your Canadian ass at this game?"

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><p><strong>AN: **So, tell me what you thought! (:


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Just wanted to say thank you again to all my lovely readers, specially to my reviewers. I love you. lol Also, it's very late and I apologize in advance for any and all sorts of grammar and/or spelling mistakes. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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><p>Lea's phone buzzed in her purse and she almost gasped upon reading Cory's text. He wanted to talk to her. Finally! But what did he have to say to her after all these days of giving her the silent treatment? He said he needed to talk to her alone, which probably meant that it was something important. And <em>private. <em>Something he could tell only her and nobody else. Just the thought of all the possibilities of this sudden urgency to talk made her stomach flip anxiously and also made her fingers tremble a little as she tried to type her reply on the phone's touch screen, which was never easy in the first place.

_Great! ! ! ! ! ! ! Meet me in my room after the show? L_

Too many exclamation points after that 'great'? What would he think? That she was too excited about them talking? Which she was, actually, but did she want him to notice? Lea overanalyzed her text for a moment but didn't seem to care that much as she hit the send button, sighing in relief with a small smile beginning to grow on her lips.

"What was that about?" Dianna asked sitting next to Lea in the car, as she caught the look on her friend's face combined with the way she was still holding her phone tightly in her hands, waiting for it to buzz again with another text.

"He wants to talk. Alone." Lea replied, knowing Dianna would know who she was talking about even though she hadn't said his name. Her voice was a little too high pitched as she spoke and Lea couldn't help but giggle at her nervousness.

"Good." Dianna chuckled. "Maybe you'll finally sort things out." She completed with a wink when Lea's phone warned them of a new received message.

_Deal! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !_

She knew he was teasing her about the exclamation marks she'd been worrying about before but her instant reaction to it was to laugh wholeheartedly. She missed him.

"Yeah, maybe we will." Lea told Dianna as she put her phone back in her purse and laid her head back on the rest, smiling widely now. She couldn't wait to sort things out with him.

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><p>Their second show in Manchester had been fantastic, if Lea had any say in it. Even though she and Cory hadn't had their talk yet, they were comfortable around each other again. Of course they'd done their best the night before as not to show the distance between them and actually succeeded in their task. Their fans didn't have to notice something was off with them. They had invested so much time and money into coming to their concerts it was only fair to give them their best show faces.<p>

But tonight, tonight had been different, Lea thought as she put on a cozy summer dress and slipped on her flip flops after her shower while she waited for Cory to come. Tonight had been different because she could feel they were Lea and Cory again, not some act they had to put on to make the fans happy. They truly were the friends they had always been, teasing and flirting and all. How they had managed to spend days without properly talking to each other was beyond her, she analyzed, sitting on her bed after taking off her flip flops. However, she didn't even have the time to lay down when she heard the knock on her door.

"Hey." Was Cory's greeting when Lea answered the door. He stood outside, hands in his pockets and a sheepish look on his face as he tried to smile.

"Hey." Lea smiled warmly, finding it cute how he was just as shy and nervous about this as she was. "Come on in." She grabbed one of his hands out of his pocket, pulling him inside and closing the door behind her. When she turned, she saw him standing in the middle of the room, clearly still uncomfortable.

"Why don't you take a sit?" Lea said as she sat down on the bed too, sending him a smile and an encouraging look, which seemed to work instantly because the next thing she knew was the feel of his weight denting the mattress next to her.

There was a heavy silence in the room as neither of them began to talk after that. Cory kept his hands in his pockets, watching as Lea straightened the hem of her dress repeatedly. God, she looked so good. So natural, no make-up, hair still wet from an obvious recent shower, a flowery scent that emanated from her, filling his lungs and making him a little lightheaded. Seeing her like this, so carefree, stripped down from the 'Lea Michele' persona she had to put on sometimes in public, made him sure of what he felt. And what he felt was the need to see her like this the most he could; like, every single day for the rest of his life wouldn't be so bad. What he felt was love.

He could feel it consolidating inside him now. This wasn't just physical attraction or a crush or a simple infatuation. It was love. He loved her. His heart felt tight in his chest upon his realization and almost came to a stop when Lea turned her head to him, an expectant look gracing her features. He smiled nervously at that, not knowing what to do. Well, he did know what to do; he had to start talking. But where the hell was he supposed to start?

"Great show tonight, huh?" His voice came out a little too high pitched and he immediately regretted his first attempt at speaking. He coughed and tried again, lowering his voice. "I mean, I felt like we were more relaxed today. Did a better job. Not that we'd done a poor one last night." Okay, maybe he should just stop talking at all.

Lea looked at him and gave him an understanding grin. She was nervous too, but they needed to get to the point and discuss the subject which made them have this, uhm, encounter in the first place. "While I agree, Cory, that we did a better job tonight, I just have to ask you." She paused, afraid to go on, yet getting the courage to power through as she felt the urge to hear what she knew he had to say to her. "Is this really why you asked to come talk to me? Why we are both here right now? To talk about our performances?"

Cory stared at her as she raised a questioning brow. Even though he was startled at her straightforwardness, it did give him the push he needed to go on. "No." He answered. "No, it wasn't."

"Then tell me what is it, Cory." Lea searched for his hand, taking it from his pocket once again.

"It's not-, it's not that easy." He sighed, willingly letting her envelop his big hand in her tiny one.

"Just tell me, Cory. You know you can tell me anything. I promise I won't judge you, I'm your friend." She squeezed his hand and his heart sped up its rate in response.

"That's the thing, though. You're my friend." He said. And then he froze, realizing he'd already revealed so much with that statement alone. She was going to figure it all out before he could say anything else and she'd probably feel offended or mad or something like that and she wouldn't want to talk to him anymore and he was going to blow their friendship and he really didn't want that, he'd rather have her in his life as his friend than not have her at all and-

"I am. What's the problem with that?" Wait. She hadn't gotten it yet? Whew. He exhaled loudly as his racing mind came to a screeching stop. She squeezed his hand again. "What's the problem, Cory? I know there's something wrong." Okay, he could deal with that; she knew something but not all of it. Yet.

"First we have this great talk in my room that night that I was feeling down. You were such a good friend to me that night." He smiled tenderly at her for acknowledging that. "Then we have this, this _intense_ moment," Lea continued, blushing when she referred to their almost-kiss "but you were great about it too and we were fine the next days, had so much fun at all of our concerts."

"We did." Cory agreed with a smile, but Lea didn't let him say anymore as she was already on a rant, raising her voice somewhat on the account of her growing desperation of not knowing and wanting to know what the hell was happening. "And on the last US concert I see you walk away without even saying goodbye to me and then you're not talking to me for days and all of a sudden you want to talk to me alone! I know there's something wrong here, so why won't you just tell me?" She let out a frustrated sigh and breathed heavily when she finally stopped talking. Cory, on the other hand, finally started talking, feeling a little bothered by her tone. He was the one who was supposed to be frustrated here!

"Look, that night of the last concert I was coming to talk to you. I was actually planning on having the same conversation with you that I expected us to be having here." He was trying really hard to not raise his voice. He had to stay calm; he did not want to scare her.

"Then why did you walk away?"

"Why did I walk away? Because of that stupid boyfriend of yours and his stupid surprise visit!" Voice low, Cory. Voice low. Cory coached himself, but he couldn't stop the tension that was building up inside of him.

"Oh." Was all Lea replied when she recalled that she'd seen him exactly when Theo had shown up.

"Yeah." Cory replied getting up from the bed and walking towards the window of the room, his back turned to Lea. "I thought you were going to break up with him. After we talked that night, I was under the impression that you were done with that guy." He said, his voice was very low now, almost breaking.

"I don't think I ever told you specifically that I was breaking up with him, Cory." Lea replied after trying to remember what they talked about. Yeah, she had told him she and Theo had been having problems, but she'd never said they were breaking up, even though that was her intention.

"But he doesn't make you happy! And you're not even in love with him anymore!" Cory raised his voice again, not yelling but enough to show her his dissatisfaction. He still hadn't turned around and kept staring at the city out the window, how the lights shimmered rhythmically under the clear sky and the moonlight, such a peaceful sight that contrasted with the turmoil of feelings going through him in that moment.

"I didn't tell you I was breaking up with him but that _was_ my plan, if you must know!" That was the first time he heard her raise her voice, which, along with the hope that came with her words, made him instantly forget about the city outside and turn back to face her in a heartbeat.

"So you did it? You-, you broke up with Theo?" His words were filled with hope.

"No." Lea answered quietly.

"Ugh!" Cory groaned loudly as he felt that single word cutting through him like a knife. He had the urge to kick something but only clenched his jaw tightly instead, repressing that urge. He probably shouldn't be breaking anything, this was already going nothing like he had expected.

"Why do you even care so much, huh, Cory?" Lea asked angrily, finally getting up from her place on the bed and standing right before him. He looked down at her, a little flushed from her outburst, her breathing rapid and her brows furrowed as she confronted him.

"Because-" He choked. He opened his mouth to speak again but nothing came out.

"What? What?" Lea yelled now, enticing him as she took a step closer. That was it for him.

"Because I don't like him! Because I'm jealous! Because I want to be with you! Because I fucking love you, ok?"

Cory yelled too and Lea took a step back now, freezing in place as she felt her breath catch in her throat, along with the distinctive feeling of her heart stopping dead in her chest. She felt dizzy and lightheaded as his words still rang in her ears. He loved her. He fucking loved her. She only realized she hadn't fainted yet when she felt her heart switch gears abruptly, getting faster and faster, and her stomach start jumping around doing flips like it was a freaking gymnast while she heard him going on.

"I love you. There, I said it. I know it's probably not the best way to say that to someone, but I do. I've known all along that I felt something for you, Lea. At first I thought it was just lust, that I was only attracted to you physically as we obviously shared some kind of chemistry since our first reading together. Then I thought of it as a crush and that it would go away, that I was happy enough with us being friends and teasing each other. But then you got a boyfriend and I was jealous. I've always been jealous of him. But you were happy and there was nothing I could do about it, so I thought I'd better ignore whatever it was I was feeling." He was on a roll and Lea just stood there, staring mesmerized at him.

"But then these last few weeks came about." Only then Cory took a deep breath before he continued. "And we had that talk and that _moment_ and I thought you were breaking up with him and that I'd finally get the opportunity to tell you how I felt, that I wanted to be with you. Ask you out, I don't know, do what I should have done from the beginning. And when I was about to do that, he showed up and screwed me over again and I was just so angry I had to leave. That's why I wasn't talking to you these days, because I was angry. But I was mostly angry at me, at my stupid bad timing that keeps making me miss out on all my opportunities. And I'm doing it again right now, I'm really screwing this up and I'm sorry for that."

He finished his speech and sat down on her bed again, dropping his head on his hands, while Lea was still standing in the same spot, still trying to process what had just happened. He had told her he loved her. He. Loved. Her. She was expecting anything but an 'I love you'. She was expecting him to admit he wanted to be with her, that he was attracted to her, to suggest they had an affair or something. She was _not_ prepared to hear that he loved her.

Where did that leave her? Did she love him too? She couldn't even figure it out right now as her whole self felt like a mess of mixed feelings at the moment and she could only concentrate on breathing in and out and keeping her heart from beating its way out of her chest. And even if she did love him, what would this mean for them as friends and as coworkers? Could they maintain their friendship and a proper professional relationship? She was scared to lose in any of those ways. Right now she was just plain scared. And she still had a boyfriend to deal with! Granted, they were on a break, but it didn't make her any less preoccupied. Was there a way a hole could open up beneath her feet so the Earth would swallow her? Maybe that way she could escape all of this and not feel like her emotions might give her a stroke.

As she evened out her breathing and gathered up the courage to speak again, Lea turned to Cory.

"I-, I really don't know how to deal with this right now, Cory." She said to him, making him look up at her.

"I'm sorry. I blew it. I knew I was going to do this. I should've just kept my mouth shut and I'm never _ever_ listening to Mark again. I just knew this was going to happen."

Lea was a little confused as to what role Mark had played on this, but the way Cory was acting in front of her, feeling nervous and rejected, definitely made her heart ache.

"No, no, Cory. Listen to me. It's never a bad thing to listen to someone saying they love you."

"Even if it's said in the shittiest way possible…" Cory looked away from her again.

"Even so." She smiled tenderly. "Specially coming from you." Lea completed shyly, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear and making Cory's head shoot up back again in her direction.

"But what does that mean?" His heart raced in anticipation for her answer.

"I don't know, Cory. I think I need time to figure it out. Can you give me that?" She asked, sitting down next to him and taking both of his hands in hers. She hoped she wasn't breaking his heart beyond repair, making her lose her chance with him at the same time.

"Always." Cory replied with his lopsided grin that made Lea melt inside, thinking that this conversation should probably end soon if she didn't want to get herself dragged into something more.

"Thank you." She let go of his hands and hugged him tightly. She could feel his heart beating fast and heavy on his chest, pressed against hers.

"No, Lea, thank you."

He was actually surprised that the outcome of his earlier outburst and stupid yelling at her hadn't been so bad. She hadn't run way, nor did she hate him. Yeah, so they still hadn't sorted things out between them, but now she knew how he felt and she was still here hugging him. It was a great feeling.

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><p><strong>AN:** Thoughts? :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** So, long time no update, huh? Sorry about that, life just kind of got in the way and I just didn't have anytime on my hands to sit down and write. But here I am again, with a nice long chapter for you, and I can only hope you are still interested. Before anything I'd like to say that if any British readers find any mistakes in my brief characterization of London, I'm sorry, but I did the best I could with my research. Ok, on to the Monchele parallel reality! Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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><p>He loved her. He. Loved. Her. He <em>fucking<em> loved her. His words still rang in Lea's ears as they arrived in London, just like they had the entire previous night and the entire flight to get there, leaving her tired and sleep-deprived but thrilled and touched nonetheless.

He loved her. Her! She was loved by _him_. She replayed the words over and over again in her head as if that action would somehow imprint them into her brain to actually make her start believing it. He loved her. Once again the sound of his words and the sight of his face after he told her flashed through her memory, making the butterflies run wild in her stomach and she had to repress the grin that threatened to form on her lips at the thought of all the possibilities that opened up for them with his confession.

Did this mean they could get together now? Probably, she thought, settling beside Chris in the town car that was driving them to their hotel. Her relationship with Theo had been on the rocks for quite some time and their break couldn't have come at a better time, even though she had gone for the actual break up. She was free to analyze this as a single woman. Well, sort of, anyway.

Would things be different if she really was single? If Theo had never existed, would she have reacted the same way to Cory's words? No, most likely not. If he had ever told her that _before_ her current boyfriend had come along, her response might've been much less restrained and much more, uhm, affectionate, so to speak. This time Lea was unable to stop the smile that formed on her lips, along with the blush that slightly crept across her cheeks. Those reactions also didn't go unnoticed by Chris, who immediately elbowed her side playfully at the sight.

"Watcha thinkin' about there, missy?"

"Me? Nothing." Lea replied smiling shyly and adjusting the huge sunglasses on her face.

"Oh come on, somethin's got you grinning like a fool over there and it sure ain't nothing." He squeezed her knee and made a melodramatic pout, willing her to tell him the truth. When she just rolled her eyes and didn't answer him, he continued. "Okay, fine. Don't tell me. But don't think I haven't noticed your strange behavior these last few weeks. It's like you're a rollercoaster of emotions. One day you're sad and blue and moping around and the next you're all giddy and dreamy and then it's back to the start again. To be honest, it's kind of giving me whiplash." Chris finished with a scoff and turned his head to stare out his window, pretending to be mad at her.

"Aw, Chris. Don't be like that." Lea pleaded, joining his act and leaning her head on his shoulder. His only response was a shrug. "Fine, I'll tell you." That was all it took for him to turn around as fast as a lightning, grinning madly at her. He all but clapped in excitement. Lea rolled her eyes and chuckled softly upon watching his reaction.

"I've, uh-" It was hard for her to put it into words. She wanted to open up to him, but she didn't want to let it all out, especially considering it might make Cory look bad, like he'd been pushing her to cheat on Theo or something. "I've been confused, lately."

Chris shook his head in agreement. "Boy troubles?"

"How? How?" She couldn't complete her question, but her wide eyes and furrowed brows did it for her.

"Well, I could only assume." Chris shrugged one of his shoulders matter-of-factly, returning to sit in a straight position in his seat. "Neither you nor I are the type to be having any sort of professional problems as of now, so that is out of the question. You have many friends who you love and who love you right back." He winked and she nudged his side at his implication. "You're the one who's closest to her family out of all of us, so the only remaining option would be boys. And heaven knows how confused they can make one be."

"You are amazing." Lea gushed, a little amused by his way of thinking.

"I know." He smirked. "Now are you going to tell me more or are you just going to waste the opportunity of me willing to share my wisdom?" Chris asked, a questioning brow raised at her.

"It's just… This is really hard. I mean, I love Theo, I probably always will, but our relationship just hasn't been the same anymore and I don't think I'm still _in _love with him." She looked up at Chris, who seemed very unflustered by it, like he had known it all along.

"We actually even took a break before we came to Europe for the tour, but all of that is something I've been expecting to happen for some time. Only now there's this other situation on the table and…" Lea lost the track of her sentence as the image of Cory from the night before popped into her mind again.

"And?" Chris asked.

"And I just don't know what to do." She let out a heavy breath as if it would release some of the pressure she was feeling. "It's kind of what I've been waiting for all along and yet here I am standing still, not being able to move forward. I just- I don't wanna hurt anyone, you know?" Lea finished her sentence and dropped her head, fixing her gaze on the purse sitting on her lap.

"Does anyone include you?" Chris tilted his head, searching for her eyes, even though they were sheltered by her dark glasses. "Have you considered how the choice you make might affect _you_?"

"Of course I have." Lea replied sadly. "And yet I'm still stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter what I do from here on, someone is bound to get hurt and I can only think that maybe it's better if that someone is me."

"Oh dear God, Lea, are you even listening to yourself?" He grabbed her hand desperately and tugged it close to his chest, finally making her look up at him again. "You're willing to hurt yourself when you truly have the chance to be happy? To have everything you've been waiting for, as you just put it? Where is my friend? You know, the real, confident, diva, Lea Michele? The one who is brave enough to say what she's thinking and go after whatever she wants?"

Lea gave him a warm smile, her eyes watering a little at his kind, encouraging words. "You know I love you no matter what, dear, but I gotta say I love _that_ Lea even more. So please, don't make me watch you suffer for whatever reason or person it might be."

"Okay." Was all she was able to say through the emotional lump forming in her throat.

"Okay?"

"Yeah." She shook her head affirmatively and Chris quickly closed the space between them, giving her a tight hug, but pulling back after not more than a moment.

"Good." He repositioned himself straightly in his seat. "The next step is you telling me who exactly this great new opportunity is, even though I'm sure I've got a pretty good guess." Before she could say anything, he quickly added. "However, that's for next time, though. We're almost there." He said pointing to their hotel, a few miles ahead of them. "Besides, if I'm going to be sharing so much of my young life of wisdom we'd better start making appointments so that I can say when our time is up, which would be right about… now."

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><p>Lea's phone rang for what it seemed to be the hundredth time that evening, startling her when she was just about to fall asleep. Everyone else had been planning a huge night out in London since they only had a concert the following evening. Their plans even included going to a club and partying with Prince Harry. Now if that didn't mean they'd made it big time, she didn't know what did.<p>

However, while they were going on and on about where they were going for dinner, then drinks, then dancing, what they were wearing or what time they would be leaving, all Lea wanted was a good night of sleep. She hadn't gotten much of it last night after her talk with Cory and it had only gotten worse up until now, her mind and her heart leaving her restless. Her own plans were to have a nice relaxing bath, a glass of organic wine and then falling blissfully to sleep. She hoped.

None of her cast mates seemed to agree with those, though, as it seemed every single one of them had called her to make her 'get her out of her funk' and join them on their night out. She looked at the screen, trying to focus through her sleepy eyes, and realized it was Chris' turn to try and get her to go with them. With a sigh, she slid the green button to answer him.

"I already said I'm not going."

"Oh but come ooooon." Chris whined on the other end. "Do you realize we might get the chance to have drinks with Prince Harry? Prince. Harry. That's freakin' British royalty for you right there!" The last part came out with a squeak, which made Lea smile in response.

"I know, Chris. But remember all the stuff we talked about today? I haven't slept properly because of it all and I really need to catch up on my rest or else I'll be a mess tomorrow. And you know me, I'm not a partying kind of girl."

"Are you sure? You might miss out on some pretty epic stuff…"

"I'm sure you'll be telling me all about it later."

"Fine." Chris agreed reluctantly. "But if you get some drunken texts or calls don't say I didn't warn you."

"Deal." Lea laughed. "See ya tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too. Good night!"

She looked at the time on her phone and realized it was early enough so that she could set her plans in motion. First up was her shower, so she got up and headed to the bathroom, not before calling room service and ordering a bottle of organic wine along with a salad.

Three hours, a bath, a glass – ok, two glasses – of wine and the small plate of greens later, Lea was glad to notice her lack of sleep was finally taking its toll on her and she was going to be able to get her rest.

That is until her phone started ringing yet again after she had fallen asleep for what it appeared to be not more than a few minutes. She realized that wasn't the case when the clock on her nightstand clearly displayed 1:35 AM in bold red lights. Who was calling her at this time? Hadn't they all gone out already? Her stomach dropped when she squinted to read the name on the screen: Cory. They hadn't talked at all since they had, well, _talked_. What could he possibly have to say to her? She had told him she needed some time. On the other hand, it was good that he was calling. She did not want to go through another period of not talking to him. When the phone buzzed again in her hand, Lea decided it was better she answered it soon before it stopped.

"Hello?" She tried and failed to make her voice light and casual to hide her sleep.

"Oh shit. You were sleeping weren't you? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I woke you up. I'll hang up now, just go back to sleep." Cory rambled nervously on the other end.

"No. Don't." She coughed slightly, trying to get her voice clearer.

"Yeah?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah." She smiled, already sitting up and resting her back against the headboard. "It's good to talk to you. I was afraid we would be getting into that awful non-speaking stage again after-, after last night." She faltered when trying to reference his love declaration, as if mentioning it would somehow make him feel bad.

"Me too. Glad it's not like that, huh?" He still sounded nervous and didn't really know where to go from there. All he wanted was to hear her voice, really. The awkward silenced stretched on for a few seconds that were like an eternity for both of them, before Lea could come up with something to break it and move their conversation along.

"So, how come you're calling me at this time of night? Didn't you go out with the rest of the guys?"

"Nope, didn't really feel like it. I went to dinner and all, but I sort of felt lonely, not having you there. I missed you." Cory said the last part very shyly and low, but Lea still heard it. And then the awkward silence was back.

Shit. He shouldn't have said that. Damn, why must he keep putting his foot in his mouth? He had to stop making her uncomfortable if he ever hoped to get her to be with him. Instead, he should be making her feel at ease by his side, so she could finally own up to her feelings for him, which he knew were there. Don't ask him how, he just knew. He felt it. Or else he wouldn't have said anything about his own. Cory still wasn't comfortable with the way it had come out, with all the yelling and the swearing and stuff – he had actually missed his own night of sleep because of it – , but now he was determined to make it up to her and to get her to be happy, bubbly Lea once again. And he had a plan.

"Look, Lea, don't feel bad for me, ok? If I'm man enough to tell you I love you, I'm man enough to deal with the consequences. I just don't want you to feel awkward about it, ok?"

"Ok. And it's just…" God, why was it so easy for him to say stuff like that and for her it felt like choking? Why was it so hard? "I miss you too." Lea admitted quietly. She could practically see Cory's special lopsided grin growing in his face as he replied.

"Listen, I have a proposition for you." He said excitedly.

"Oh?" Lea knew he was being direct but that caught her by surprise.

"No, no. Nothing like that!" He chuckled, noticing her assumption. "Would you be willing to go out with me? Like, now?"

"Now? It's almost two in the morning, Cory."

"Exactly! That's why it's perfect." His logic was making no sense to her.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Cory asked. "As your friend, do you trust me?"

"Of course." She didn't hesitate to answer.

"Then come with me. And wear something casual. None of that hiding behind glasses or hats or anything. It's the middle of the night in a different country, I'm sure we won't get attacked by a herd of fans or paparazzi." He added the last part, knowing all the worries that were going through her head right then.

"Fine. But if you get us in trouble you will pay, Mr. Monteith." Lea replied, still scared at what could happen.

"Deal. I'll pick you up in 10?"

"Yeah. Bye, Cory." Lea hung up shaking her head at his excitement and still not believing just how she had agreed to this. Cory, for his part, hung up the phone with a huge smirk plastered on his face. He was sure his plan would work.

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><p>Cory went to her room a few minutes later and basically had to drag her out of it by her hand to get her to leave. He made them get the service elevator, which was gross in her opinion, but it was the one who had less surveillance cameras to register them going out together. Alone. In the middle of the night. Plus, it wasn't bad that her aversion to the dirty walls covered in graffiti made her snuggle up to his side the whole ride down.<p>

When they got to the garage, Cory led them to a black Prius parked in the back. He clicked the button on the keys and opened the door for her. When she got in, he quickly ran to the other side and settled himself on the driver's seat.

"May I ask you just how did you manage to get access to a car here?" Lea looked at him, puzzled.

"Well, let's just say that I had to pull some strings to get it and spend some bucks to keep it on the down low." He winked at her before turning the engine on. Cory pulled out of the parking lot and drove for a few minutes following the coordinates of the GPS, before Lea started to get fidgety on her seat.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going at all?"

"Hey, I thought you said you trusted me." He turned for a moment to look at her, giving her a smirk.

"I do." How could she not trust him? He was one of her best friends. He loved her. How can you not trust someone who loves you? They would never do anything to harm you would they? She blushed lightly at the thought, but spoke her mind anyway.

"But isn't this dangerous? I mean, not because we're, you know, us, but because we're two people alone in the middle of the night in a huge city?"

"Not anymore than it would be to be in the same situation in New York or LA. I'm guessing it would be even worse there." Cory chuckled and set a hand on her kneecap, stroking it reassuringly. "Don't worry. And where were going, it's a well lit place and I'm sure there will be some other people there. We're actually close now, just let me find a parking area and we'll be off."

Somehow, the simple touch of his hand on her knee was enough to calm her down. If he had some sort of a surprise date planned for her, she might just as well enjoy it.

When they got out of the underground parking lot and emerged to the street, Lea realized they were next to the park right in front of the London Eye and the river Thames. She had to stop walking to just take in the beautiful sight in front of her. The wheel was all lit up in white and blue lights, illuminating the park underneath it. She could see the Big Ben and the Parliament also with their lights on behind it. The clouded sky above it all was bright from all the city lights, completing the view with a beautiful yet somber touch.

"Wow." Lea breathed after a solid five minutes of standing in the same spot.

"I know." Cory agreed beside her. "But that's not all, come on." His hand slid into hers and he forced her to start walking again. They walked through the park, which was actually quite alive with people enjoying the warm summer weather and specially the lack of rain, even into the late hours of the night. When he found a spot he was satisfied with, on the grass underneath a tree close to the London Eye, its blue lighting glowing on their faces, Cory sat them down.

"This is beautiful, Cory." Lea remained amazed by the sight.

"Here, let's drink to it, then." He replied, opening up a bottle of wine and pouring the beverage into two plastic glasses.

"How did I not see you carrying this around?" Lea asked him, amused.

"I had it in the car. It was all planned, you see." Cory chuckled. "And then I guess good old Big Smoke blurred your senses, didn't it?" He handed her one of the glasses.

"Big Smoke?"

"Yeah, London. Like Big Apple is to New York."

"Oh, here's to the Big Smoke, then." Lea smiled brightly and clinked her glass with his.

"So, was it worth it?" Cory asked before taking his first sip of wine.

"What?"

"Trusting me." He smiled, looking her in the eye.

"Absolutely." Lea returned his smile, but broke his gaze as she stared into her glass to take a sip.

After drinking the whole bottle of wine and talking effortlessly for a while, they walked around for a few minutes through the Westminster Bridge to the Parliament and then back and into the underground parking lot. The whole time they spent together just felt right. They were them again. Talking, laughing and playing with each other. They were so comfortable around each other it was like nothing had ever happened between them. Not repressed feelings, not now out-in-the-open feelings, not boyfriends or girlfriends, jealousy. Nothing.

The car ride back to the hotel was silent, though, and neither of them knew if it was because they were now both tired and sleepy or if it was just the fact that it was pretty obvious they were alone again. When they arrived at almost 5 in the morning, Cory went to drop Lea off at her room. He was suddenly feeling nervous again as he watched her retrieve the key from her purse. As she looked up and locked eyes with him, biting her lower lip, he could see that she was feeling the same way.

"So, I guess this is goodnight." He offered with a shrug.

Lea watched him for a minute after he said that, rolling on his heels, hands stuck awkwardly in his pockets. She didn't know if it was all the wine she'd had that night or the date he'd just took her on or the dimples that were forming with his smile, but she knew she didn't want this to be goodnight. Her heart was melting as she stared at him and suddenly she couldn't hold back anymore. So she got on her tiptoes and launched her arms around his neck, pulling his face down and attaching her lips to his, kissing him suddenly.

Cory was surprised by her action and took a moment to respond. She was kissing him? She was! Oh my God. He felt his heart rate speed up dangerously fast as he put his own arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. Fuck not trying to push her into anything. If she was initiating it, he was going for it.

Once she was secured on him, Lea moved one of her hands into his hair, caressing the back of his head at the same time she licked his bottom lip slowly, gaining a moan and access to his mouth in response. Cory instinctively pushed his tongue against hers, relishing in the way it felt. This kiss wasn't rushed and needy like he imagined it would be. The more they explored each other's mouths, soft and slowly, and caressed each other's faces, the better he felt. This wasn't simply physical need, he was sure. It was definitely more. As they finally broke apart for air, breathing heavily, eyes locked, he was certain Lea knew it too.

"Cory, I-. I-…" She felt it. Her heart was about to explode in her chest as her feelings for him surfaced, all her barriers put down. But why couldn't she say it back? Why was it so hard for her? What the hell was wrong with her?

As Cory noticed the trouble in her eyes, he put a finger to her lips and whispered, his face still less than an inch from hers.

"Shhh, Lea. You don't have to say anything, ok? I know." She shook her head in agreement, feeling safer in his arms. "I know."

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><p><strong>AN:** As always, reviews make my day, so let me know what you thought! :)


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